Collection consists of materials related to the life and career of dancer and
choreographer, Jack Cole. Includes clippings, photographs, programs, research materials,
correspondence, and biographical materials. Clippings, programs and photographs relate to
night club performances, stage productions, and films in which Cole was involved
including the "Rainbow Room," the musicals "Kismet" and "Magdalena," and the musical
revue "Alive And Kicking."

Background

John Ewing Richter was born Apr. 27, 1914 in New Brunswick, NJ; studied modern dance with
Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, ballet with Luigi Albertieri, and ethnic forms with La Meri
and Mei Lan-Fang; performed as a Denishawn dancer under his real name and under the stage
name, Jack Cole, 1930-32; joined (Doris) Humphrey/(Charles) Weidman Dance Group, 1932,
making his Broadway debut in The School for Husbands, 1933; served as dance director for
many major Hollywood Studios, but is most associated with Columbia Studios where he ran
the Dance Workshop, 1944-48; well known for solos for Rita Hayworth in her "Put the Blame
on Mame" strip in Gilda (1946) and for Marilyn Monroe in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
(1953) and "Some Like It Hot" (1959); from 1939, Cole and his dance groups appeared
regularly on television variety shows including Bob Hope specials throughout the 1950s,
"The Perry Como Show" (1948-50 and 1955-59 seasons), and Sid Caesar's "Your Show Of
Shows" (1950-54); numerous motion picture credits include "The Jolson Story" (1945) and
"Three For The Show" (1955) and theater works "Candide" (London, 1959), "Donnybrook"
(1961), and "Man of La Mancha" (1965); died Feb. 16, 1974 in Los Angeles, CA.

Restrictions

Copyright has not been assigned to the Performing Arts Special Collections, UCLA. All
requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing
to the Arts Special Collections Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the Arts Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to
include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.